SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

The pervasiveness of these flyers definitely suggest viral advertising. But the website redfishsmoking hasn’t been used. Somewhat strange to buy a website and leave it dormant.

Did some further checking.

The web site was set up 4 years ago by someone who lives in Bath Beach. Which means that this concept is at lest 4 years old. It’s on a Yahoo server. The owner of the site is a rather interesting person, who appears to be intelligent and responsible. If he’s keeping tabs on web references to redfishsmoking he’ll find this and perhaps he’ll tell us what this is all about.

Well, I don’t think the website is dormant, it’s one of those middlemen type sites.

Hey, calm down… it’s just graffiti. Stop being such a whiner. Plus, it’s only paper, you can take it off if it bothers you that much.

Can you imagine anyone other than the guilty party saying, “it’s just graffiti”.

Anonymous, are you the redfishsmoking gun. C’mon, stop hiding.

They are very Lower East Side in appearance. I wonder if it has anything to do with a Sushi Bar??
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paypaul/3724572121/

I saw alot of those signs on every single block and i wanted to look it up. Its funny some fliers have some girl on it some have an old man i also saw some with the devil symbol on it 666 which made me question who is doing it i do not think it is a viral marketing but rather some graffiti punks who are doing it.

Some of them have anime photos too. I’m seeing more and more of them.

WOW! Do a google search for Red Fish Smoking and check out what the first link is!

http://www.google.com/search?q=red+fish+smoking&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

I actually saw a girl putting these stickers up on the train the other day. I asked them what it meant but they said they didn’t know and that some guy just gave them to the girls and said “put these up for me”. The girls were young like 15 or so.
I haven’t seen the flyers on the street only stickers on the train. It was the q train if that helps. I was curious so I did a search on google and found this site.

Hrm. I wonder if its a conspiracy Ned started to get people to the blog….hrm….

Just kidding Ned! :-D

@Ray Johnson

No, you can rest assure I am not “Red Fish Smoking” If I were then why would I even bother replying? Wouldn’t that be giving away my identity? That wouldn’t be very smart, now would it?

I’m just a twenty-something living in Bensonhurst who doesn’t happen have a problem at all with this. I see it all over the place. If it’s viral marketing, then I don’t see the big deal whatsoever… considering people are constantly putting up ridiculous fliers anyway. If it is a “punk” as you say, just putting up some sort of rebellious message then I’m fine with that too. Kids will be kids… they aren’t blowing up any buildings.

As I stated earlier, it isn’t spray paint nor is it even applied well into the surface it is being stickied onto. You can easily just take it off. Also the rain washes them off most of the time.

Cool off, guys. There are way worse things going on in Brooklyn than this.

People complaining about this are completely out of fucking touch with the world. Welcome to Brooklyn, there are going to be things that confuse you and things that annoy you and things you disagree with. “BUT THE POOR BUSINESS OWNERS!!!” fuck that bullshit diatribe, you open up a business in an urban environment, prepare to have your property necessitate maintenance. Like most of you, I’m curious about what Red Fish Smoking is but my curiosity doesn’t prompt an intellectual cut-off; I WANT TO SEE MORE.

If you don’t like RFS, take it down. Layer over it with your own art. Start an adjacent campaign. Do whatever, but don’t “contact a politician.” You might as well move to fucking Missouri if that’s a legitimate course of action you deem for harmless street art.

To Anonymous and AlexBrooklyn:
You’re both so happy about those signs, now — but let’s see if your smile will be as great when Ridiculous Red Fish comes to your front door! Even your city selves will be smoked out to Missouri…not that this will be such a bad thing for any of us.

What does that exactly mean? I CHOOSE to live in Brooklyn and consciously take in all aspects (be it positive or negative) surrounding it. Will I be smoked out to Missouri if a street artist chooses my walls to grace with their art, whether wheatpasted on or spray painted? Most definitely not; you have to walk through the city with your eyes closed to not understand the lay of the land around here. But please, don’t take my argument as illegitimate only because I seem to trump a “it is because it is” attitude — this is what makes our city as interesting and beautiful as it is. You can walk down a street and be exposed to the art, the messages, the campaigns, etc. of any number of people. Why does this threaten you? How exactly does this diminish the quality of YOUR life? You can’t even use the excuse that it decreases property value anymore; look at Williamsburg, look at any number of neighborhoods in Manhattan, look at Astoria Queens, look at St. George Staten Island — all of these places are plastered and it seems to only add to the general appeal.

Ray, I’ve gone back on this blog a couple months and noticed a pattern in your posting.. it primarily consists of complaints about art campaigns you encounter on the street. You sound like the old man down the block, complaining about all the things you seemed to love and understand so well in your youth. This isn’t NYC in the 1950′s anymore, it’s time to ‘get with the times’ and understand that the influx of culture is a majorly prevalent factor in living in NYC, Brooklyn especially.

While you very well may enjoy the beauty of a lone stop sign, you’d be in denial to not acknowledge that you are in the minority. Stop, look, take in and THINK. It’s not all that bad.

AlexBrooklyn: What do you have against old men (and probably, old women, too?). Cool argument: Why don’t we make the entire city one gigantic poster? Yeah, right, quite the tourist draw. One does get tired of constantly having to stop and look. Sure, thinking, too, can get a little tedious. I suppose that’s why you pretty much stopped doing this boring activity.

Aren’t there enough dangers out there on the streets that commuters have to constantly be distracted by these cheapo advertisers? You might not realize, too, that the laws against illegal postings on surfaces that belong to others were most likely written by some old men who built this beautiful city before you and your “young”, but vandalistic attitude was even conceived.

I don’t understand why you resort to petty insults instead of acknowledging my arguments. I stopped doing the boring activity of ‘thinking’? What drew you to that conclusion? I’m drawing on examples, you’re drawing on personal gripes that most likely stem from being out of touch with the world you live in.

And please, by all means, don’t observe the urban beautification consuming our wonderful environment — surely no one is forcing you. How do you differentiate a REDFISHSMOKING sticker over a CalvinKlein jeans advertisement? Is that not a distraction to you? And which type of commuter, exactly, is this a ‘danger’ to? Certainly not pedestrians.. and if a sticker on a lamp post is a hazard to a drivers concentration, well, that driver is most likely a hazard to all of us as well. Imagine what kind of quick thinking and reflex would be necessitated by a driver to get out of a nasty situation like Brooklyn stop-and-go traffic if even street art is hazardous!

“You might not realize, too, that the laws against illegal postings on surfaces that belong to others was written by some old men, who built this beautiful city.”

What YOU might not realize, Ray, is that like you, (I would hope!) I pay my taxes; I walk our streets, I encounter the vibrancy of this city — that stop sign down the block from my house belongs to me just as much as it does to my neighbors and it does to the governing body of New York. You and I and everyone else make this city what it is – just because a law is in place doesn’t make it morally ‘just’.

P.S. Ray, I have NO problem with older people; I show respect and I’ve paid my dues, don’t use a “cheapo” tactic like accusing me of having a problem with old people simply to discredit what I have to say.

Alex you dumb idiot, its not graffiti it its advertising you douche. Your such a lame. You really are. You try to come off as if your some young hipster but your just a dumb idiot.

Rick, if its advertising, its pretty lame.

Do you have any specific idea what is being sold through these messages? Can you explain the need for their pervasiveness?

Hip has no real currency when anyone tries to be hip. So I wouldn’t worry myself about what might appear to be a pretension.

Personally, I think that this is an example of egotism taken to the extreme. As it is seemingly anomynous the poster is on some level so full of himself that he doesn’t care that no one knows who he is.

Well, I wouldn’t say noone. Our Redfish paster has left a digital trail which identifies him. In fact, I am almost sure he is reading this.

Rick, I hope you’ll understand if I don’t acknowledge anything you said.

Lisanne!, it’s not about HIM; it’s about the concept. Whether that concept comes through fruition within the process of putting REDFISHSMOKING out there or the end result, or the ‘art’ – these things rarely, if ever, have anything to do with the artist.

Look up Shepard Fairey.

Alex, these redfishsmoking signs have been around for some time. And yet they appear to be barely a blip on the human consciousness radar. A Google search shows less than twenty relevant entries. (And some of those link back here)

If art is defined by saturation then I suppose we could define this bombardment as artistic expression. But I find such broad parameters troubling.

My original Flickr posting was an attempt to engage the artist. Even if he failed to catch the interest of most people, he certainly caught my attention. Some exposition should have followed, otherwise the mere exercise of plastering the landscape with these items becomes an exercise of waste.

And if the act is the art, then the result has everything to do with the artist.

Shepard Fairey isn’t hiding from public curousity.

I can’t believe I just read that there’s no difference between a Calvin Klein advertisement and these sloppy-ass papers pasted haphazardly over public property.
Few wouldn’t argue that consumerism pretty much runs amok in this day and age, but let’s face some facts. Calvin Klein pays for advertising space and in turn pays designers to create something aesthetically pleasing to the masses. An individual wallpapering property that doesn’t belong to him with poorly printed drivel is something else altogether. I don’t think this should be accepted as some natural byproduct of urban culture. Granted, these things are somewhat inevitable in a large city but shouldn’t be accepted so readily. Sure, it’s better than kids killing each other or blowing up buildings but that doesn’t exactly make it a positive activity for the community. Maintaining the quality of life that is left in Brooklyn has nothing to do with “being old” or being from “the 1950′s.” That is something that everybody should care about. I’m shocked that anybody can defend the defacement of property.

Someone has been reading too much Marshall McLuhan, and taking it too seriously. The medium isn’t necessarily the message.

look it not a big deal i live in brooklyn i see it everyday i say if you see someone post it call someoneproof then ask what is it about. i understand that is a mess to clean i wouldn’t like it if it was near my house but juts let it go by and it will be stop nd it can be some random people posting it one does it another makes one and it a cycle it might be a poster for something new like you guy say marking like the districk 9 movie but it was more on public area but still it can be something that coming up well what im trying to say it ignore them

Actually you may have one good idea Alex. I’ve considered papering over RFS with this.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paypaul/3788883029/

He who is responsible for this crap seems to have taken it to another level.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paypaul/3824945828/

Is that you Alex or did you just inspire this idiot to portray a crying man all over the area?

sup d00ds?

Hey why don’t you put something on your page? After all you are paying to have it parked there.

Wassup RFS? You must be the bozo posting this crap to provoke what??? It certainly looks like deep viral marketing but your website means nothing. You can actually afford to continue to pay for such a thing that has no content and means of generating revenue? Was it a failed idea or are you a delusional loser with visions of grandeur?
BTW, I appreciate the plug for DFS! The drawings are cute and you should be earning a living doing cartoons for the NY Post.

I got a whole crew of little Asian girls posting subliminal messages all over Brooklyn then I’m moving on to Manhattan and the Bronx and eventually I’ll do it all over the US! You guys see my ads everyday and don’t even realize you are being brainwashed, hahahaha!

You’re being too public. You might find that you’re catching the attention of people with stronger magic.

I dunno man, all your flyers and name does is give me a strong urge to eat Lox.

See, it’s working. RFS intends on cornering the market on salmon.

Anyone have some bagels and cream cheese?

I don’t think his lox would be very appetizing. He’s no doubt too goy to get it right.

I’m looking for girls to plaster for me, Lisanne are you interested?

I’d thought you’d ask eventually. I might, but I’d really like to know what your concept is.

dressing up like a girl does not make you one

It’s the process of when a red fish gets smoked.

Duh! Hey, I love smoked fish. Where can I get it. Do you marinate before you smoke it. What sort of spices and other condiments do you use.
Where is your restaurant? I’ve had smoked haddock. I’d like to taste Smoked Red fish and see if I like it. Is red fish a bland fish or is more like a Blue Fish? Perhaps it’s more like shark. I haven’t had the opportunity to try that yet smoked or otherwise because the restaurant I went to never seemed to have it.

Have a nice day. I hope to try Red Fish Smoked real soon.

I ALSO SAW ONE OF THOSE “CHRISTOPHER WALKEN” ON DUST REDFISH SMOKING POSTERS ON THE OFF RAMP TO FORT HAMILTON PKWY ON A LAMP POST.
THERE’S A FEW ON HOMECREST AVE. I COVERED THEM WITH MY BAND “F-61″ STAMPS.
I KINDA THOUGHT IT WAS A BAND AT FIRST CALLED “REC FISH” PROMOTING AN ALBUM CALLED “SMOKING”.
I DID THE SAME THING WITH MY “EVIL MIKE AND THE HEARTRAPERS ” DEMO. BUT WITH SMALLER STICKERS AND MARKERS IN GAS STATION BATHROOMS.
AND EVERY DOLLAR BILL I CAN GET MY HAND ON.
NOTHING WRONG WITH ADVERTISING. THAT’S HOW YOU GET A FOLLOWING.
KEEP ROCKIN RED FISH(IF YOU’RE A BAND). IF NOT KEEP ROCKIN ANYWAY

Someday RFS will be good enough to tag the important neighborhoods. But for now uninterested Brooklynites have to put up with his/her twaddle. Bad graffiti is so much worse than shitty advertising – because it tries harder.

Keep practicing RFS. Eventually you’ll get better or get arrested. Toy.

to all you dumb nutz out there…
REDFISHSMOKING is a graffiti writer. he/she is posting these up cuz its quicker and easier then writing with spray paint(also cheaper). they do this to get noticed graffers call it “getting ups”… the more you guys pay attention to it the more they will keep doing it. my adivce is stop posting blogs all over the internet about it. dont you got other things to do like expand your mind then just trying to find out who does mindless acts of retarded-ness??? any way now that know you know what it is, maybe you can move on with your pathetic lives

Are you RFS Leran? Or just an apologist for his drivel? I see of course you are here on this blog spouting virulent diatribes about other people’s pathetic lives. The idiot certainly has gotten the attention he wants yet the RFS still has no direction at all. If it were up to me he’d have that shit plastered all over his body and displayed for all to see in traffic medians on Coney Island Avenue. He’s nothing more than Royally Fucking Stupid!

Lisanne, I see you standing there, reading my poster. Next time, turn around!

Hey Lisanne, I am not the real RFS. I am just another curious New Yorker that was just joking around with you but I think this has gone on long enough now that I see the real RFS has started updating his site.

And hes writing a lot of negative things about you, I think you should report his site to the police as it seems hes stalking you.

Good luck.

What are you talking about, RFS you already said you were the real RFS. Dont try to back track now that the heats on. Ive already admitted that im not and youve already admitted that you are. Stop ruining our beautiful streets with your illegal nonsense. What negative things have i written about Lisanne? I am its biggest fan.

Haha, no buddy, I am not. You however are the real RFS or are somehow involved with the real RFS and will be taken down sooner or later. I hope the FBI tracks you down and you go to jail for a long-long time!

Uzef, I don’t understand if you are so proud of your work why are you being such a pussy? Just come out and admit to what you’re doing.

Real toy indeed..

OK you’re online posting as RFS telling me you’re not RFS? Oh so you’re either a terrible liar or a poser. I’ll let you tell me which one. Did you move on to Manhattan and the Bronx yet like you said you would? Maybe im just too stupid because your ads brainwashed me!
If it was my work i would proudly take credit for it or at least do a better job of not putting my name out there for everyone to know. Im just a fan, like i said on my site, and have been for years. Its not illegal to take pictures and to have pictures sent to you and then to post said pictures on a blog. However making statements such as “and eventually I’ll do it all over the US!” seem more than a little incriminating to me. Like i said you’re either RFS or some internet herb trying to cash in on someone elses work.
But what do i know like i said im stupid from being brainwashed by your little asian girls.

I can just as easily say that I’m President Obama but that doesn’t mean that I am.. Anyway I am just clearing myself here just to make sure I don’t get arrested for someone else’s work.

i saw one of the posters on my block – e16th and i – and it featured an anime girl with two upside down crosses. i was hoping a young heavy metal band was brewing in my neighborhood. instead, it’s bullshit ego dropping and lame graffiti viral marketing. this is dumb. avert! abort! avoid! this is nart as in, not art.

Red Fish Smoking is actually a psychological experiment meant to distract people into researching it online instead of being productive.

Ah yes the usual crime stereotype for graffiti, i did not do this nor condone his or hers style of graffiti, but we see horrible images of two people half naked sweating all over each other holding a can of extacy energy drink wheat pasted practicly everywhere and its fair game. We see smoking ads, lost pets, religious concerts stapled everywhere and yet this does not bother us, infact we welcome it bent over. But god forbid some kid puts up a little propaganda and everyone is torches and pitch forks. If a shop owner cant ask one of his workers to take a bucket of hot water and wash the stickers off then he should own a shop. So my little lemming unless somehow this type of message promotes unhealthy behavior or promiscuous behavior, i say sack up and stop being suck lemmings. By the way the topless girl holding the extacy energy can sweating over some greasy cockroach looking guy has my six year old more concerned than some sticker of a baffeling name on it.

I cant think Fidler thinks this actually has a chance to go anywhere? It's merely putting forward a resolution so he can say “Look, I fought for you.”
dating japanese girls